Duke of Hamilton

Quarterly, first and fourth grandquarters counterquartered, first and fourth gules, three cinquefoils ermine (for Hamilton); second and third argent, a lymphad with sails furled proper, flagged gules (for Arran); second and third grandquarters argent, a heart gules imperially crowned proper, on a chief azure three stars of the field (for Douglas).

Duke of Hamilton is a title in the Peerage of Scotland, created in 1643. It is the senior dukedom in that Peerage (except for the Dukedom of Rothesay held by the Sovereign's eldest son), and as such its holder is the Premier Peer of Scotland, as well as being head of both the House of Hamilton and the House of Douglas. The title, the town of Hamilton in Lanarkshire, and many places around the world are named after members of the Hamilton family. The Ducal family's surname, originally "Hamilton", is now "Douglas-Hamilton". Since 1711, the Dukedom has been held together with the Dukedom of Brandon in the Peerage of Great Britain, and the Dukes since that time have been styled Duke of Hamilton and Brandon, along with several other subsidiary titles.

The courtesy titles used by heirs apparent are "Marquess of Douglas and Clydesdale" (the eldest son of the Duke) and "Earl of Angus" (the eldest son of a Marquess of Douglas and Clydesdale). No Duke has had a great-grandson in direct line to the titles, but it is likely that such an heir would be styled "Lord Abernethy" (the Lordship of Abernethy and Jedburgh Forest being the most senior available title).

Before the Dukes succeeded to the Marquessate of Douglas and its subsidiary titles, the heirs apparent were styled initially "Earl of Arran" (which had previously been used as a courtesy title by the Marquesses of Hamilton) and later "Marquess of Clydesdale" (the former style then being adopted for a grandson in direct line). The heir apparent to the Earldom of Lanark (before that title merged with the Dukedom) was styled "Lord Polmont".

His son, James, 3rd Marquess of Hamilton, was created Duke of Hamilton, Marquess of Clydesdale, Earl of Arran and Cambridge and Lord Aven and Innerdale on 12 April 1643,[14][15] with a special remainder allowing succession through the female line should his and his brother's heirs male fail. His son, Charles, Earl of Arran, died young and the 1st Duke's titles passed to his younger brother, William, 2nd Duke of Hamilton, who had already been created Earl of Lanark and Lord Machanshire and Polmont on 31 March 1639.[15][16] A surrender and regrant in 1650 allowed these also to be inherited by the 1st Duke's elder daughter. Upon his death in 1651, with no further heirs in the immediate male line, the Dukedom (and the titles created with it), as well as the Earldom of Lanark (and the title created with it), passed to that daughter, Anne, 3rd Duchess of Hamilton. The 1503 Earldom of Arran and the Lordship of Hamilton became dormant,[17] and all the other titles (the Marquessate of Hamilton, the 1599 Earldom of Arran and the Lordships of Hamilton, Aven and Aberbrothwick in the Peerage of Scotland, and the Earldom of Cambridge and the Barony of Innerdale in the Peerage of England) became extinct.[11][15][18]

In 1656, the 3rd Duchess married William Douglas, 1st Earl of Selkirk, third son of William Douglas, 1st Marquess of Douglas. He had been created Earl of Selkirk and Lord Daer and Shortcleuch on 4 August 1646.[15][19] He changed his surname to "Hamilton", and on 20 September 1660 was created Duke of Hamilton, Marquess of Clydesdale, Earl of Arran, Lanark and Selkirk and Lord Aven, Machanshire, Polmont and Daerfor life.[15][19] In 1688, he resigned the Earldom of Selkirk and the Lordship of Daer and Shortcleuch, and those titles were regranted to his second son, with a special remainder designed to prevent them becoming merged with the Dukedom. (See Earl of Selkirk for the subsequent history of those titles, which were eventually inherited by the 12th Duke of Hamilton, becoming separated again from the Dukedom on the death of the 13th Duke in 1940).

As the first Duke and his brother (the second Duke) both died without surviving sons, the succession has since 1651 been governed by the third rule given, with the dukedom going to the grantee's daughter (the third Duchess) and her heirs male.

His great-grandson, Archibald, 3rd Marquess of Douglas, was created Duke of Douglas, Marquess of Angus and Abernethy, Viscount of Jedburgh Forest and Lord Douglas of Bonkill, Prestoun and Robertoun on 10 April 1703.[25]

He died, married but childless, in 1761, at which point the Dukedom of Douglas (and the titles created with it) became extinct, but the Marquessate of Douglas, both Earldoms of Angus and the Lordship of Abernethy and Jedburgh Forest passed to his second cousin twice removed and heir male, James Hamilton, 7th Duke of Hamilton.

The arms of the current Duke of Hamilton and Brandon are: quarterly: 1st and 4th grand quarters: quarterly: 1st and 4th, Gules three Cinquefoils Ermine (for Hamilton); 2nd and 3rd, Argent a Lymphad with the sails furled proper flagged Gules (for Arran); 2nd and 3rd grand quarters: Argent a Heart Gules imperially crowned Or on a Chief Azure three Mullets of the first (for Douglas).

The achievement has two crests, namely: 1st, on a Ducal Coronet an Oak Tree rutted and penetrated transversely in the main stem by a Frame Saw proper the frame Or (for Hamilton); 2nd, on a Chapeau Gules turned up Ermine a Salamander in flames proper (for Douglas). The supporters are: on either side an Antelope Argent armed unguled ducally gorged and chained Or. Each crest has a motto, namely "Through" (over the 1st crest) and "Jamais Arriere" ("Never Behind") (over the 2nd crest).[15]

The next heir is (under provision 4 of the special remainder) the heir whatsoever of the 3rd Duchess, namely Edward Stanley, 19th Earl of Derby (b. 1962) (a descendant of the 6th Duke through his only daughter, Lady Elizabeth Hamilton, who married Edward Smith-Stanley, 12th Earl of Derby). Lord Derby is not, however, an heir to the Marquessate of Douglas and its subsidiary titles, which would pass to the heir male (a junior-line descendant of one of the Earls of Angus, as the heirs male of the body of the 3rd Duchess are the only remaining heirs male of the body of the 1st Marquess of Douglas).[clarification needed] He is also not an heir to the Dukedom of Brandon or the Barony of Dutton, which are limited to the heirs male of the body of the 3rd Duchess.

^Gallagher, Tony (ed.) (6 June 2010). "Obituaries - The Duke of Hamilton". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 23 July 2013. The 15th Duke of Hamilton and 12th Duke of Brandon [...] was uncomfortable in his role as Premier Peer of Scotland and hereditary Keeper of Holyroodhouse Palace, the Queen's official residence in Scotland. [...] As Lord Abernethy he was hereditary Bearer of the Crown of Scotland [...] In 1999, at the inauguration of the Scottish Parliament, he cut a striking figure while performing the role before the Queen.CS1 maint: Extra text: authors list (link)

^The heir male was James Hamilton, 2nd Earl of Abercorn, grandson of the third son of the 2nd Earl of Arran. Neither he nor his successors, the Earls, Marquesses and Dukes of Abercorn, have claimed either title.

^Named as William Alexander Anthony Archibald Douglas-Hamilton, 11th Duke of Hamilton and 8th Duke of Brandon in National Portrait Gallery

^Complete Peerage, Vol. VI, p 275 shows this Duke and his heirs as Douglas-Hamiltons, all previous Dukes as Hamiltons; some other sources show the 10th and 11th Dukes as Douglas-Hamilton as well. On the other hand, Cracroft's PeerageArchived 18 August 2016 at the Wayback Machine shows the 12th Duke as a Hamilton; the 13th Duke's grandfather, of a different branch of the family, as having adopted Douglas-Hamilton